With beaches covered in palm trees, warm ocean water, sweeping mountains covered and rainforest, and rainbows nearly every day, Costa Rica was as beautiful in person as in any photo.

Every aspect of this program was incredible. We worked with community organizations studying sustainability and partnering with associations to research causes they specified. Through these partnerships, we made lifelong friends, expanded our network, and learned more about multicultural collaboration.

For the first six weeks, we studied Spanish five days out of the week for four-hour sessions each morning with the Monteverde Institute. This institution collaborates with plenty of educational facilities throughout the world and performs its own research in the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Along with the many hours of classroom Spanish, each student stayed in homestays, living with families from the area. Without a doubt, I would say this was the best part of the program. I learned an immense amount of Spanish from dinnertime conversations, weekend trips, and just walking around the home. I also gained a second family that I hope to stay in contact with for life and can't wait to visit again soon.

This program advanced my experience in academic community participatory research. In my Arts and Humanities degree, I have a pathway in community engagement. Through this program, I increased my skills in engaging with communities and my knowledge of how communities and associations form, grow, and change.

I also got to experiment with photography, video, and social media, which helped my digital storytelling degree. I learned so much about Costa Rican history, culture, tourism, and development.

On a personal level, I learned more about myself and how I function in another culture far from my home. I gained friendships, wonderful memories, and lifelong skills for growing myself, my education, and my career. I am so grateful to everyone who supported me in this program

Name: Elena Forman
Status: Sophomore
Majors: RCAH and Digital Storytelling
Hometown: East Lansing, Michigan
Program: Sustainability and Civic Engagement in Costa Rica